The Paper - Season 1

While The Paper may not yet reach the level of its parent series The Office, it is an entertaining comedy series with the same elements. Both the American and British versions of The Office have had a huge influence on office comedy series. Elements that worked well in The Office were also frequently seen in similar series in the following years. It's surprising that, despite numerous remakes over the years, there's never been a spin-off, but twelve years after the original ended, it's finally here: The Paper.

In The Paper, the same documentary crew as in The Office follows the new colleagues in the editorial office of a local newspaper in Toledo, Ohio. For years, the Toledo Truth Teller was a benchmark for local journalism, but these days it mainly features advertisements, purchased press releases, and celebrity gossip. When the new editor-in-chief, Ned Sampson (Domhnall Gleeson), takes over, he wants to make traditional journalism great again. But whether his colleagues are also eager remains to be seen.

The Paper has enough potential to grow

The Office also needed some time to find its feet in its first season, and that's evident here as well. Especially in the beginning, not all the jokes really land, and it takes a lot of getting used to the new characters. Nevertheless, it's engaging enough to keep watching for the first few seasons.

Most of the actors do a great job, led by Domhnall Gleeson and Chelsea Frei. Sabrina Impacciatore also does well. Yes, her character is incredibly annoying, but that's entirely intentional. Not everyone gets the same amount of depth and screen time, which is a shame. However, I see plenty of room for secondary characters to develop in future seasons.

As the season progresses, a clear upward trend is evident. In the second half, The Paper strikes the right balance between absurd situations, office banter, and hard-hitting satire on journalism. The highlight is the eighth episode, in which the editorial staff attempts to expose a misconduct caused by the parent company of the Toledo Truth Teller. The finale is also strong, both in terms of humor and character development.

Although this is a spin-off, it manages to stand on its own two feet

Although this is a spin-off of The Office, it manages to stand on its own two feet. There are still plenty of connections to the parent series, and the first episode takes the viewer by the hand. On the one hand, it's a nice epilogue to The Office, but perhaps it wasn't entirely necessary. From episode two onward, the show almost completely abandons the parent series, and The Paper continues largely independently. Still, it's nice that Oscar (Oscar Nunez) from the parent series makes an appearance here as well.

The Paper hasn't quite reached the heights of The Office in its heyday. Still, it's excellent viewing material that does plenty of interesting things with the premise of a newspaper office. Even before the premiere, Peacock renewed the series for a second season, which is great news. Many shows that aren't an instant hit are quickly canceled these days, but it's great that Peacock is giving The Paper the space to grow, because it certainly has that potential.